Absorbent paper products are a staple of everyday life. Absorbent paper products are used as consumer products for paper towels, toilet tissue, facial tissue, napkins, and the like. The large demand for such paper products has created a demand for improved aesthetics and functional benefits in absorbent paper products, and as a result, has driven the need for novel methods for providing these visual effects and benefits to absorbent paper products.
Visual effects may be provided on an absorbent paper product by a number of techniques. For example, a pattern may be embossed onto the surface of a paper web as it is being converted. Alternatively, a pattern may be molded directly onto the surface of a paper web using a patterned papermaking belt. Patterns provided onto the surface of paper products not only provide the consumer with a positive visual appearance both at the time of purchase and during use, but may also provide a number of functional advantages. For example, a highly textured surface as can be provided by embossing or by the use of textured belts may increase the softness, absorbency, or caliper of a paper product.
With the advent and growth of the computer imaging industry there has been a rapid saturation of consumers with three dimensional computer graphics, images, and effects. Without being limited by theory, it is thought that consumers perceive the use of such three dimensional effects as denoting a product or good that is technologically advanced, in additional to providing an interesting visual experience to the consumer. As a result, many consumers prefer goods that provide such a three dimensional effect.
Accordingly, there exists the need to provide a means for providing an absorbent paper product having an aesthetically pleasing three dimensional surface pattern.